The Giants’ thrilling 11-4 regular season finale win over the Padres didn’t just clinch the NL West title. It bought them some time.
After the soaking celebration, the glasses of whiskey and the two days to catch up on sleep, the Giants have three much-deserved days to prepare for Friday’s NLDS.
SF began workouts Tuesday. They’re optional, but well-attended — as is a team watch party for the NL Wild Card game between the Dodgers and Cardinals Wednesday night.
At Oracle Park, pitchers loosened up in left field, tossing a football and kicking around a soccer ball in addition to throwing lightly. Dominic Leone playfully mimicked Tyler Rogers’ submarine motion. Infielders took grounders and threw to manager Gabe Kapler at first base. Bullpen and catchers coach Craig Albernaz tossed short toss to batters behind an L screen.
The workouts are a luxury most teams — including the second-place, 106-win Dodgers — don’t have. “I think it’s going to be huge,” starter Anthony DeSclafani told KNBR.
“It’s not a secret, we’ve had multiple bullpen games throughout September,” DeSclafani said. “I think there’s a lot of guys, including myself, just kind of on fumes and trying to grind out every single pitch and every single inning. For us to get that breather — and winning that division is almost like a little relief. And having these extra days, everyone’s going to feel so refreshed.”
Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto threw live bullpen sessions, facing a combination of LaMonte Wade Jr., Darin Ruf, Donovan Solano, Austin Slater and Mike Yastrzemski.
Closer Jake McGee, who returned from the IL from his oblique strain but hasn’t thrown any big league innings, also threw about 15 pitches to the same batters in a simulated game. He struck out the first batter he faced, Ruf, with a slider — onlooking teammates and coaches reacted with joyful surprise.
“Big slider guy!” one joked from outside the home dugout.
Afterwards, McGee told reporters that he feels completely fine and ready to go.
The Giants could’ve used McGee in the finale, as SF held an 11-4 lead in the ninth inning, but elected to give the ninth to Dominic Leone instead. While they’re comfortable with McGee in big spots, Kapler said it wasn’t the right time for his first time back on a big league mound.
“We did think that it was important that we ended that game on a high note, Kapler said.
“Momentum means something to us. Going into this week with kind of a wind at our back, was something that we took seriously and continue to take seriously.”
The workout days give a veteran group badly needed time to rest and recover. Buster Posey, 34, ditched his season-long workload management schedule to catch five of the last six games of the season. The bullpen, taxed since the start of September due to two unavailable struggles, can freshen up.
And SF’s two aces who finished the season strong — Logan Webb and Kevin Gausman — have each exceeded their career-highs in innings pitched. Gausman’s seven-inning, one-run start to close the season came on six days rest, and Webb’s epic season finale came on five.
Kapler declined to name a Game 1 starter, but either will have ample time to prepare for their next start. Kapler added that it’s possible a Game 2 starter could pitch again in a hypothetical decisive Game 5 due to the built-in rest days in the playoff schedule.
Kapler said the team still hasn’t made any serious decisions in terms of playoff roster or who starts Game 1. There are ongoing discussions, and there will inevitably be tough conversations.
Until then, the Giants have two more days to workout.
“We’re obviously very lucky to have (these workout days),” DeSclafani said. “And we’ve earned it. 1000%. It’s for sure nice to decompress. To have the off-day yesterday and have some days to stay in routine, but still decompress. I think it’s going to be huge for us.”
- First baseman Brandon Belt (fractured left thumb) took light grounders at first base, without using his injured left hand at all. He’d field a grounder, then flip it directly from his glove to assistant coach Kai Correa nearby. Kapler said the “dream scenario” for Belt’s return is still the NLCS, but anything is possible.
- Kapler said Wood and DeSclafani are completely stretched out physically for a regular start. They’re the likely starters for the third and fourth games of the divisional series, but may have a short leash if the bullpen is rested enough. They each finished the regular season strong with scoreless starts in the final week.
